


Living and Leaving

by mondsters



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (kind of) a lot of angst, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8964979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mondsters/pseuds/mondsters
Summary: When Yuuri Katsuki imagined his death, he didn’t imagine it to be as bad as how it actually transpired. He thought that he would go quickly and swiftly, as least painfully as it could go. But he couldn’t have been so wrong. 
He died slowly. Agonizingly slow. So slow that he wanted to just end it all, right then and there, but he couldn’t. He was still holding onto the sliver of hope. Hope that he would live. That he would breathe. That Victor would come back.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written before episode 12, so i honestly don't know where this show is going to lead us, be it death or reincarnation, i'm in it for the long haul.

When Yuuri Katsuki imagined his death, he didn’t imagine it to be as bad as how it actually transpired. He thought that he would go quickly and swiftly, as least painfully as it could go. But he couldn’t have been so wrong.

He died slowly. Agonizingly slow. So slow that he wanted to just end it all, right then and there, but he couldn’t. He was still holding onto the sliver of hope. Hope that he would live. That he would breathe. That Victor would come back.

Every end has a beginning, and it was only later on that Yuuri could realize where it had all begun.

 

The day started normal enough, so normal in fact that the Japanese skater hadn’t noticed anything wrong. He had woken just before sunrise, as he usually did, but one thing was missing, Victor on the bed next to him. The Russian usually woke just as the sun peered from the horizon. He had claimed that he had a natural affinity to the large star, that he would always rise just as it did, and for the past three years, he proved it every single morning. Except that morning.

He crossed their flat groggily, heading to the closet where his training clothes were neatly folded. There was an order to everything in the apartment the two shared, and thought Victor was firm with certain aspects of it, such as interior design and how everything was kept in a particular order, they were able to compromise with the minimal mess he always managed to make in his wake.

He went out for his daily morning jog with Makkachin, the brown poodle easily keeping up with his pace. He passed by the usual locals in Hasetsu, greeting them just as he did just like any other day, and they did the same in response.

He ended his jog right in front of Ice Castle, just as any normal day before. He slowly climbed up the steps and took his time in the locker room. Makkachin had already been a welcomed guest in the ice rink, and preferred to spend his time in the office with Takeshi or playing with the Nishigori children until he had finished with practice.

 

Yuuri didn’t expect to see Victor on the ice that morning. The Grand Prix Finals had recently ended, and for the third straight year, he was able to place among the top three. He would always credit this success to his coach, and despite the qualms and persistent refusal, he would always end up graciously smiling at his student.

 

“Victor,” he said as he entered the rink, joining him on the ice, “I was looking for you this morning.”

 

“Oh,” he had just done a twizzle as he turned to faced Yuuri, “I hope you weren’t too lonely without me.”

And there it was. That sly smile that made his heart lurch every single time. He didn’t think that Victor knew what it did to him. “I managed to survive.” He replied. “What are you doing here, thinking of new programs for the next season?”

 

“Well, _thinking_ at the very least.”

 

“Penny for your thoughts?”

 

“I’d give it to you, no payment required,” he paused, “If I could make sense of it myself.”

 

“Tell me, maybe it would help if you were able to voice it out loud.”

 

He just smiled, his eyes dark, his thoughts seeming to have wandered elsewhere. “Trust me, I don’t think it would help either of us if I could.”

 

He wanted to press the man in front of him for more, but he let it go. He trusted Victor to tell him when he thought the time was right.

 

“For now, let’s start working on your program for next season,” Victor’s voice boomed throughout the empty rink, making the previous conversation seem as if it hadn’t even happened. “Your landings have started to look strained, is your knee acting up-“ he proceeded to lecture Yuuri, to which he just nodded and accepted quietly.

 

* * *

 

 

They were on the road again for the Grand Prix Series. Yuuri was already considered a veteran in these events, his spot among the top six finalists in the Grand Prix was ensured and predicted by skating analysists as early as Skate America.

This was going to be his third Grand Prix series with Victor by his side as his coach. People had said that he had peaked back in 2016, his first year with the Russian coach, and assumed that he would retire after that season. But to the surprise of skating fans and the experts of the sport alike, he had just continued his momentum since then, only improving with each and every event he joined.

Reporters and camera crew littered the available spaces of the large room group two occupied while the first group performed their short programs. There were three other skaters warming up in that room, but the primary attention was on the 25 year old Japanese skater and his coach. As per usual, Victor wore his suit, which in the past had caused quite a commotion and made him stand out amidst the tracksuits and thick jackets of other coaches, now was a welcomed and accepted sight.

Yuuri was doing his normal warm ups, stretching against the wall, jogging around the vicinity, only taking breaks to take a sip of water and nothing more. Wearing his earphones, he drowned out the noise and clamour created by the sports media outlets and focused on his warm up routines.

Victor was standing in the corner of the room, watching his student with increasing interest. Yuuri had changed since he had first seen that video of the Japanese skater perform _Stand By Me_ from his last GPF, the last program he had performed as a professional skater.

Lost in his reverie, he failed to notice the black camera directed at him make its way closer to his corner. “Here we have the finalist-hopeful’s coach with us, previous five time consecutive Grand Prix Final winner, Victor Nikiforov.” the female reporter had suddenly stood in front of him, her cool voice removing him from his own thoughts and brought him back to the boisterous waiting area.

 

“Ah, h-hello,” he said, surprised at the sudden unexpected interview he was dragged into.

 

“Victor, as Yuuri Katsuki’s coach, you must be delighted.” She turned towards him, her microphone in hand, branded on it the news channel she had come from.

 

“Of course I am. Yuuri practices unceasingly even when he doesn’t have any events,” he beamed with pride, enjoying his opportunity to brag about his student, “His passion is evident in the way he skates. The way he moves with the music makes it seem like he is weaving along with the notes, creating and composing his own music as he glides on the ice.”

 

“Very true, Mr. Nikiforov, and there was a time when the same could be said about you.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“During your own peak as a skater, you were considered among the best in history, breaking continuous records with every program you had performed. At twenty seven, you retired to become a coach, the coach of the very person analysts are saying have surpassed even _you_ -“

 

Victor was visibly taken aback.

 

_Is this what people are saying now_ , he thought.

 

“- And now, at only twenty five, Yuuri Katsuki may very well beat most records that you had broken during the twilight of your career-“

 

_‘Twilight of my career’? It’s only been two years since I’ve last been on the ice._

“- In the past two years, people had thought that Yuuri had always been living under your shadow, but could it be that in this season, he transcends his coach in every aspect and rewrites history in _his_ favor?” The reporter was looking at him now, and if he were honest with himself, it took everything in his power not to turn away from the camera without another word.

 

Instead, he smiled. “I am excited to see where this season brings us both, and I fully expect my student to bring his own abilities to new heights and break his own personal bests with every program.”

 

“There you have it from Victor Nikiforov, _former_ skating hero and star, now come coach.” She turned away from the Russian to face the camera, “Now for a little sneak peak of the newcomer that everyone has their eyes on: Kenjiro Minami…”

 

_Former skating hero and star._

_Former_.

 

The word echoed in Victor’s ears as the female reporter left just as abruptly as she had come, but the coach hardly noticed. His ears were still ringing.

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't written a multi-chaptered fic in a long while, so i hope it goes okay.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! I'll hopefully update by Christmas (VICTOR'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!) because he is the true saviour of this year.


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